Water Main Breaks

Road Damaged

Over 100 Customers In 2 Towns Affected

SOUTH WINDSOR — A water main on Kelly Road near the Vernon town line broke Friday morning, interrupting service to more than 100 customers in both towns and causing part of the road to collapse.

Daniel J. Meaney, a spokesman for Connecticut Water Co., said the break was reported about 8:15, and service was restored to all but eight customers within an hour.

Police closed Kelly Road from Laurel Lane to Oak Street for most of the day after part of the road collapsed, Sgt. Matthew D. Reed said.

Meaney said he was not sure what caused the 12-inch main to break. Often in winter, temperatures near roadway surfaces and in grassy areas change at different rates, causing the ground to shift and put extra pressure on pipes.

Ron Asselin, the town streets foreman, said that when he arrived shortly after the break, the road was passable and water was running along the gutter.

A water company crew arrived and shut off valves about 9 a.m.

Meaney said the messy snowstorm complicated the repair work but the remaining customers without service would be reconnected by the end of the day.

Meaney said the exact number of customers affected could not be determined. The break would have caused the level of water in the utility's storage tank to fall, causing a loss of water pressure or no service to hundreds of customers, he said.